They've done a lot of teasing of a next-gen Rock Band game on Twitter as of late. I wasn't sure if there was smoke to that fire or they're just screwing with the last remaining die-hards. This has me believing they're testing the waters. I'd certainly be interested - as in, buy a new console just for this, interested - but I'd want to be able to use my old instruments and I'd want my DLC to carry over and that seems unlikely.

I might get the Foo Fighters song, if only to throw $2 of support behind the idea of occasional continuing DLC. I enjoyed Sonic Highways (the HBO series) more than I was expecting, though I thought the new songs were the weakest part of the show. They just didn't grab me.

I have been downloading custom Rock Band songs ever since the official DLC stopped. There are some folks out there doing great work. This might fall into a gray area in terms of copyright and stuff (I think it's above-board - no money is changing hands and they're not taking away from the official DLC), so I won't go into more details here, but if you want info on how to get a dumptruck full of new Rock Band songs, let me know.

(7 replies)]]>KJames199http://the-w.com/rock-band-dlc-ending-on-april-2
http://the-w.com/rock-band-dlc-ending-on-april-2Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:54:55 GMTI suppose this shouldn't come as any great surprise since I don't know anyone else IRL who even owns Rock Band 3, much less still regularly plays the game or buys new songs, but it's still kind of crappy news to wake up to.

The FAQ: Originally posted by Harmonix1. Is this the end of Rock Band?

This is the end of weekly Rock Band DLC. Rock Band remains an essential part of the history of Harmonix, and the franchise will always be near and dear to our hearts. We don’t have any Rock Band titles in active development at the moment, and we’ll no longer be releasing weekly DLC, but you can expect us to continue to support the existing titles and the extensive song library. We’re not breaking up the band, but we are taking a break from 5+ years of weekly performances.

2. Why not switch to a monthly or semi-weekly DLC schedule instead?

As we transition more and more of our resources onto new projects in development, it’s not possible at this time to maintain that kind of regularity in DLC releases. The weekly release schedule is something that we are incredibly proud of, and we’ll be wrapping up DLC with over 275 weeks of consistent releases.

3. Is there any chance you’ll release Rock Band DLC again?

While we’re no longer actively pursuing content for release, we still have the technical capability should the right band and the right opportunity arise. We don’t have anything planned for release at the moment, but it’s not something we’ve ruled out.

4. Will the Rock Band Network continue to release content on a regular basis?

The current plan is for Harmonix to continue to support the backend technology that powers Rock Band Network on the Xbox 360 for the foreseeable future. Users on the Xbox 360 should be able to submit new content, test, and release as they have been for the last 3 years. It's important to note that this architecture relies on other technologies not directly in Harmonix's control, including the XNA architecture for submission. In the event that our ability to keep RBN up and running changes, we'll make sure to let everyone in the Creators community know with as much lead time as possible.

Unfortunately, PS3 submissions for RBN tracks are submitted in the same manner as standard Harmonix-released DLC and require constant Harmonix production attention. As a result, the last PS3 RBN release planned on our schedule is on April 2nd.

5. Are you shutting down Rock Central servers?

Rock Central servers, leaderboards, and the Music Store should continue to run without interruption for the foreseeable future.

6. What does this mean for the RockBand.com community on the forums?

We hope that RockBand.com will remain a meeting place for fans of the series. The forums will stay open, and posters can still expect to see Harmonix devs answering questions and engaging in conversation. Some outdated site features will likely be phased out in the coming weeks, and we’ll address those changes as they happen.

7. What will happen with Rock Band World and the content posted there?

Parts of Rock Band World will remain operational, but with weekly DLC ending we will no longer be updating with weekly Goals and Tournaments. We may update with additional Goals in the future, but they will be significantly less frequent.

8. What are you going to show on the livestreams in place of weekly DLC?

The livestreams have always been a platform for Harmonix content and we plan to continue on the same weekly schedule. We hope to use the livestream to showcase new Harmonix titles as we get closer to release, but it’s still likely we’ll be discussing Rock Band in some way, whether it’s running through the extensive back catalog, or interviewing devs, or hosting Q&As with the community. You can subscribe to the livestream here: twitch.tv/harmonixmusic

9. Do you have some big, crazy, extra special thing planned for the final DLC release?

We have DLC scheduled through the next few weeks, including what we feel is an appropriate track for the final release on April 2nd. Just prior to that, on Thursday March 21st, we’ll be hosting a big Rock Band show in Boston to coincide with PAX East. This event will be held at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square, and it is open to non-PAX attendees as well, so keep posted for ticket preorder info in the next few days. Hopefully we’ll see a lot of you there!

10. What about these new IPs you’re working on? Are any of them Rock Band related / instrument based music games?

Harmonix has several new projects in the works, but unfortunately no Rock Band news at the moment. You can stay tuned to HarmonixMusic.com for future project announcements.

(6 replies)]]>KJames199http://the-w.com/over-1000-rock-band-dlc-songs-on-sale
http://the-w.com/over-1000-rock-band-dlc-songs-on-saleMon, 17 Sep 2012 17:40:27 GMTHere's the big list - I think it might just be ALL pre-RB3 DLC. And now I'm going to go buy a dozen Xbox points cards.

And while they may SAY that they included Cult of Personality to suck up to CM Punk, we all know who's really responsible:

In addition, here are some of the powerups in the game: • Bandmate: takes over a track and plays all notes for you • Blast Note: blows up any notes it touches • Bottle Rocket: explodes and clears notes it hits on tracks • Flame Note: burn everything with fire to keep • Jackpot: play absolutely perfect to earn 3X points, but flub up and lose it all • Pinball Note: keep a pinball bouncing to clear touched notes • Point Doubler: 2x points • Runaway Note: chase a note to get a bonus • Shockwave: sends out a wave that scores on all notes it touches • Synchrony: switches tracks without breaking your note streak

And a brief video about said powerups:

So yeah. You probably don't care! But I do, so go start a thread about something else if that's how you're going to be.

Rumoured from a previous leak, where all the rest of the leaked songs have been proven to be included, and nothing was (yet?) shown to be false: - Anthrax - Caught In A Mosh - Avenged Sevenfold - Beast and the Harlot - David Bowie - Space Oddity - Devo - Whip It - Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - I Need to Know

If these six rumoured songs are legit (I believe they are), there should be four more yet to be announced, according to my calculations.

Songs I get to download for free because I pre-ordered at EBGames: - Deftones - My Own Summer (Shove It) - New Order - Blue Monday - Talking Heads - Burning Down The House